Prior art dispensers for storing and dispensing multiple doses of substances, such as cosmetic dispensers for dispensing, for example, liquid lipstick or eye shadow, ophthalmic dispensers for dispensing ophthalmic products, such as eye drops, pharmaceutical dispensers for dispensing pharmaceutical products, food and beverage dispensers for dispensing food or beverage products, typically do not store the product, which may take the form of a liquid, cream, gel, suspension or other format, in a hermetically sealed storage chamber. In addition, such dispensers may be exposed to, and/or are applied to a user's facial or other body surfaces, or to other elements, that may contain dirt, germs, bacteria or other unwanted contaminants. Such contaminants can penetrate through the dispensing openings in the dispensers and, in turn, contaminate the bulk of the products stored within the dispensers. As a result, the contaminants can be passed from one user to another or otherwise cause unhealthy conditions with further usage of the dispensers. Further, because the products stored within the dispensers are exposed to air, the products can degrade or spoil, and/or require preservatives to prevent such degradation and/or spoilage from occurring. In some circumstances, preservatives can cause allergic and/or other undesirable or negative reactions, such as unwanted dermatological reactions, or irritation of the eyes, skin or other tissues.
In some dispensers including storage chambers for storing multiple doses of substances, the storage chambers can define a smaller volume than otherwise desired. In addition, it can be difficult to increase the volume of the storage chamber if desired. In other dispensers with pumps or other mechanisms for propelling a dose from the dispenser, the dose can spritz when emitted from the dispenser, and this can be undesirable when used, for example, for ophthalmic delivery.
It is an object of the present invention to overcome one or more of the above-described drawbacks and/or disadvantages of the prior art.